Haka Theatre

Haka Theatre

By Gaylene Sciascia

This is the time, the place, the opportunity and the people to courageously take the challenge to present kapa haka to the world in a new form .

Arohanui – the Greatest Love has just finished hugely successful seasons in Wellington and Auckland. One of four flagship projects selected by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, Arohanui was part of the REAL New Zealand Festival which ran alongside the Rugby World Cup 2011.

Most productions of this magnitude can take six to eight weeks to put together with the cast. In the case of Arohanui, this was done over a number of weekend wananga (rehearsals), and one week in July. A cast of 35 performers and another 15 design and production professionals met the challenge.

Taking this production overseas and sharing who we are and where we come from will make its mark on the world. In much the same way Te Maori, the first international exhibition of taonga Maori (treasured Maori objects) from New Zealand museum collections, had a huge impact in putting Maori art as ‘living taonga’ on a world stage.

International festivals are one area where it could be successfully staged, but maybe it is time to look creatively at other opportunities as well, for example alongside trade and sport.